VIA Rail Canada is born

Radio Program: CBC Sunday Magazine, March 6, 1977

Host:Bob Oxley,Reporter:Bob Johnstone

Duration:5:11

The week of VIA Rail Canada's creation, reporter Bob Johnstone interviews fellow train passengers about the allure of the rails. Includes interesting comments about the Turbo Train on-time performance and comparing it to air travel between Toronto and Montreal.

The Turbo was 1hr. 25min late on this trip.

On February 28th, 1977, Federal Transport Minister Otto Lang announces the creation of a new Crown corporation that will take over all passenger rail services in Canada. It is called VIA Rail Canada. Until this time, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways both operated a mix of profitable freight services and debt-ridden passenger services. CBC Radio reporter Bob Johnstone, on board the Turbo train between Toronto and Montreal, asks his fellow passengers why they prefer traveling by rail. The Liberal government had promised to create VIA Rail almost three years earlier during the 1974 election campaign. The new corporation is designed to halve the $200 million per year passenger rail subsidy that CN and CP receive from the federal government. Passenger services will be streamlined, and some routes may be cut. Train fans are worried, while some critics believe the passenger rail system should be scrapped completely in favour of cheaper, more dependable buses. VIA Rail eventually takes possession of all CN and CP passenger equipment and personnel. However, VIA Rail does not own a single rail line and must pay right of way fees to CN and CP and contract with them for maintenance. Gradually, the corporation takes over CN and CP routes, beginning with the busy Quebec City to Windsor corridor on April 1, 1978. By 2000, VIA Rail is carrying almost 4 million passengers a year.